For a franchise that was knocking on death’s door a mere decade ago, fighting games have certainly come a long way in the last couple of years. 2018 may go down in history as one of the finest year’s for the genre, as the pickings may have been slim but the games on offer were benchmarks in two-fisted action. Here’s a look at the best that the genre had to offer, as well as 2018’s overall king of the ring.

It’s not perfect, but WWE 2K19 is a massive return to fun form that focuses on what truly matters inside the iconic ring and delivers a pulse-pounding thrill ride that finally feels like a showcase of the immortals.

One aspect of the 2K Games series that hasn’t changed much this year? The superb character creation tool, which is instead a tweaked and perfected version of the suite of options found in each WWE 2K game. The best part of the feature? It’s comprehensive, massive in the options available and you’re able to put your own face inside the game. If you need a crash course reminder in how to upload your face, then Bombshell Bonthuys is more than ready to school you in the fine art of uploading the perfectly punchable face in WWE 2K19.

Let’s cut to the chase: October is the month wherein Red Dead Redemption 2 releases, and everyone else is just along for the ride…right? Nope! In a month where you’d have to have some serious chutzpah to take on a game whose marketing budget can easily topple a small nation, the month ahead isn’t giving Rockstar Games and Red Dead Redemption 2 an easy path to ride on.

Anyway, while the current WWE television product has its highs and lows, recent games in the series have been nothing but lows. Curiously, I’m actually cautiously optimistic for this year’s entry in the series. 2K Games apparently wants to make the action as over the top as possible again, and to do so they’re tapping into a whole host of gameplay upgrades in WWE 2K19.

2K wants to change the perspective of MyCareer mode being more painful to play in their WWE games than spending an hour with Mr Socko driven down your throat, and to do that they’re aiming at doing something that has never been done before in one of their WWE games: They’re going to try and make it fun.

The current roster for WWE 2K19 looks kind of…well awesome. This year has dozens upon dozens of superstars from across RAW, Smackdown LIVE and NXT, as well as a few legends in the mix.

For the first time in years, the highlight reel of Showcase mode is returning. Who will headline that main event in WWE 2K19? None other than the yes man himself, Daniel Bryan.